Media-Coverage-Related Investor Sentiment during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study tests the relationship between investor sentiment generated by COVID-19-related media coverage and BIST100 Index returns. In this context, the study is based on the ground laid by Tetlock's (2007) study, which stated that media content and stock market activity are correlated. The effect of investor sentiment on the BIST 100 Index is examined in this study for the period 11 March 2020 - 19 August 2020 through the news on the COVID-19 pandemic. In this context, panic, fear, media coverage and vaccine indices are used in the study as investor sentiment proxies based on media coverage of COVID-19. The Dolado-Lutkepohl causality test and the ARDL method were used to investigate the effects of indices on the BIST100 Index return and subsequently, the cross-correlation relationship has been examined to check the robustness of the results. It is found that media-coverage-based investor sentiment indices are related to BIST100 Index returns. However, our evidence does not support investor sentiment theory.